From the
McAuliffe for Governor campaign comes Chapter 3 of his Business Plan for Virginia,
"Building Economic Security for Virginia Families." Here's the press release (bolding added for emphasis).
Following up on chapters that focused on making Virginia a renewable energy leader and creating good jobs across the Commonwealth, gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe today unveiled the third chapter of his Business plan, which highlights his plans to strengthen the economic security of Virginia families. McAuliffe highlighted his support for making healthcare more affordable, increasing access to higher education, and ensuring that Virginians' retirement savings are secure.
"Our economic struggles have not been evenly distributed around Virginia - some communities, some industries, have been hit much harder than others," McAuliffe said. "But Virginians everywhere can see what is happening, and they wonder how it may affect them. State government cannot solve all of our problems. But it should be an ally to the aspirations and goals of its citizens."
Pointing to the one million Virginians without health insurance, McAuliffe emphasized his support for state level health care initiatives to improve the quality of care, reduce unnecessary spending, and begin to control the ever-increasing cost of health care. McAuliffe pledged to expand access to affordable health coverage by providing low-interest loans to help unemployed workers purchase health insurance when companies go out of business and they have no COBRA option. These loans can help individuals and families maintain coverage while unemployed and allow for a favorable repayment schedule when re-employed. McAuliffe said he would also allow the unemployed - as well as any individual or employer - to buy into FAMIS, FAMIS Plus or other health plans when such plans would be a more affordable option.
"As healthcare costs continue to rise, more and more families are unable to afford coverage, or opt to risk dropping coverage to afford other basic necessities," McAuliffe said. "While reform unfolds at the federal level, we must take actions on the state level to rein in health care costs and increase access to affordable health care for recently unemployed Virginians."
Discussing the need for a homegrown, well-educated workforce, McAuliffe pledged to make higher education more affordable for all Virginians. McAuliffe said he would create a "Scholars for Service" loan forgiveness program, whereby for two years of commitment to service, such as teaching in a high-need area or working in an under-represented profession, students would be eligible for four years of loan forgiveness. He also called for improving the the Virginia Guaranteed Assistance Program (VGAP), by better marketing to high school students early in their school careers and, most importantly, guaranteeing a certain level of assistance for any student based on need and who successfully completes the requirements.
"We must do all we can to prepare our citizens for that future, including making sure they are educated and trained to take on the jobs of the future," McAuliffe said. "Achieving some level of post-secondary education is critical to our economic success collectively as a commonwealth, as well as individually as citizens and families who are striving to achieve the American dream."
Finally, McAuliffe pledged to increase retirement security by reducing barriers to pension participation and portability. Discussing the need for workers to save for retirement, McAuliffe said he would establish a Commonwealth IRA that would allow small employers to offer a voluntary reitrement savings program to their employees. McAuliffe also proposed allowing workers in private businesses to participate in the Commonwealth's Deferred Compensation Program, which is currently offered to state employees and would deduct money from a participating worker's paycheck and invest in options chosen by the employee like any typical deferred compensation plan.
McAuliffe plans to discuss these proposals, as well as to elaborate upon his ideas for assisting homeowners and first-time homebuyers with voters throughout the Commonwealth in the coming weeks.
You can find the full chapter online at http://www.terrymcauliffe.com/file_download/6/chapter3.pdf.
